A thousand Miles
by Ace7
Summary: This fanfic takes place 2 months after Lorelai and Luke got engaged. A i my vrso of the new season.
1. Chapter 1

A thousand miles

Author's note :I wrote this 2 weeks ago but wasn't able to submit it cause power was out thanks to Hurricane Wilma. I started other fanfics as well (when it comes to writting I'm a multitasker) but I'm posting this one first cause Gilmore Girls is one of my fav shows.

First timer,if you can be nice and at the same time tell the truth all the truth and nothing but the truth I apreciate it but if not then just tell the raw truth.

This fanfic takes place 2 months after Lorelai and Luke got engaged.For the record, Jess never went back to his so-called-father. He graduated and went to Harvard(talk about irony) He and Rory never happened either. They'r only friends (sorry to all Rory/Jess fans)

Now, without further ado here's the story

Disclaimer: Sadly, I don't own any of the shows I watch

Chapter one.-It hurts too much to think about this on this cold, quiet, nigth

Lorelai sat on her bed with Paul Anka beside her,the TV was on,but she wasn't watching it,and there was Junk food all over the bed, but she hadn't even gotten trougth the pizza and red vines before she gave it up.

_It's not the same_,she tougth.There wasn't use in pretending.Tears burned the back of her eyes as she realized that, without Rory, this didn't make sense.

She had been able to keep her head up so far because she had easily put the Rory subject in the back of her mind by busying herself with everything else.Jess's graduation, The inn, her engagement to Luke, and just any meaningless thimg that would ocupy her mind. But rigth now, there wasn't anything to think about and this gave the situation a chance to sink in.

She covered her face with her hands and tried, in vain to think about something, anything else.

Paul Anka, as if knowing she was sad by a sense all animals seem to have, crawled closer to her, and gently pushed her hand with his snout,as if asking her to come out. His nose felt cold against her bare hands. She finally gave in and took her hands away from her face to find his soft, black eyes gazing into hers. She wiped her tears patted him on the head and smiled, glad that she had gotten him.

She sat up and took the pizza and the rest of the junk food downstairs with Paul Anka on her heels and put it away. Movie nigths weren't any fun anymore, neither was waiting for the first snow of the year, stuffing herself with junk food, or hating her parents, of course, that didn't stop her for hating them anyway, since one of the main reasons for hating themm this year was because they had backstabed her and supported Rory in dropping out of Yale and living on the Gilmore poolhouse.

She sat on the couch and let out a sigh.This wasn't the way things were supposed to go .Rory was supposed to have more than her. And the worst part was, that as much as she wanted to blame her parents, Logan's dad, and even Logan himself. The only one she could think of being responsible was herself.

Twenty years ago, she had made the desision of running away from the Gilmore manssion, out into the darknes of a raining nigthin hopes of giving her daugther a chance to have a different life than the one she had had.

She didn't want the whole "rich-girl-gets-whatever-she-wants-never-has-to-work-for-a-single-thing-in-her-life-hates-her-mother-with-all-her-migth" kind of life. Not for her kid. She had wanted Rory to know that you have to hold on to your dreams and figth for what you want, and that the things that are worth it don't come easy.And she had definetly wanted them to have a better relationship than she and her mother had. How had it blown up in her face like this? Her baby girl wasn't talking to her and was slacking at her parent's polhouse. Maybe if she hadn't run away...

Lorelai shok her head mentally scolding herself for thinking that way. If she hadn't run away, she would have missed out on those wonderful years she had shared with Rory . Trougth her kid's childhood famtasies and tween/teen crushes, deacorating their rooms when they first moved from the Independence inn to the house , their first nigth at Yale. All the money in the world couldn't replace those years.

Also, if she hadn't run away she would've never met Luke, her nigth in shining armor. Even before they started going out he had always been there for her

When Rory got sick he was there, when her dad got taken to the hospital he was there, trougthout her many meltdowns, including the one in the park wnere he had not only been there but solved her problem by loaning her the money she needed to openn "The Dragonfly" and realize her dream. But, it wasn't the money she was most thankful for. It was the fact that, whenever her life seemed to be spining out of crontol, the one thing she could always count on was Luke being there, in the eye of the storm.Always on her side no matter what.

And, of course, if things hadn't gone the way they went she would have never proposed to Luke, or gotten Paul Anka. She smiled feeling sligthly better she had almost, the whole package. The only thing missing was Rory. She layed down on the couch, Paul Anka jumped beside her, and she let a few tears fall before she drifted off to sleep.

_Meanhile in Hartford in the Gimore poolhouse_

Rory sat on her bed with her head in her hands as the events of the nigth flashed into her mind like a movie. Mitchum Huntzberger had been at the fundraiser she had organizd for the D.A.R. An aura of confusion setteld around her as she wondered why she had reacted the way she did to his precence.What did he ahve to do with anything? She had chosen to take abreak from Yale because she needed time to clear her head, not because of anything anyone had said to her.Rigth?

She sighned and shook her head as if trying to shake off the insecurities that were filling her.She did not want to think about this.

She went over to the shelf, took out a book, went back to her bed, layed on her side, and tried to concentrate on the book, but failed, the words didn't make sense, and she had to re-read every line.It was as if the book was written in a foreing language. She finally gave it up and went to sleep.

A.N.:Sucky ending, I hate that.

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	2. Chapter 2

AN:I am sooo sorry for the delay in updating but I had Emily Gilmore president of the paranoid parent patrol AKA my mom to deal with. This week has been so crazy, I had an algebra test, an English literature test, a science test, and a health test all this week. Then, I had to go to my dad's work 'cause my mom didn't want us to stay alone in the house. Then my parents had a social thing which of course I got dragged to. To top it all up I also got 2 lectures one from my mom and one from my dad and you have not been tortured until my parents lecture you. My dad just takes out the bible and gives me the longest sermons known to man kind and I start counting Mississippis or Maztodontes or both, the point is that by the time my dad's done my head hurts from nodding so much even though I have no clue to what he was trying to tell me. Then there's my mom, she starts ranting about how I'm her first kid and how she was the perfect kid and how I must be the perfect kid( get straight As, wear dresses no respectable tomboy would be found dead in, give in to my brat-of-a-brother who of course gets straight As and looks like an angel, be a perfect girly( you can just imagine her disappointment when she got stuck with me) yadayada) Then she start asking a million question at light speed but don't you dare answer her because then she'll get started on how dare you interrupt her. You can only imagine how a back-to-back lecture session with both my parents went.

(sarcastically) Ah the joys of being the older kid

Guess it's just not my day, week, month, or even my year

ON ANOTHER NOTE I made Jess 1 ½ years younger than Rory, and kinda gave him a family history set before the start of the series. READ TO FIND OUT.

Chapter 2:Gilmores, queens of denial.

Luke drove his truck towards Stars Hollow, back from his camping trip. The road was completely deserted except for the usual car that would pass him every now and then, and so he let his mind wonder to the events of the last few months. Jess graduating and going to Harvard, surprising everyone including himself but not Luke, he always knew Jess could do it, Rory dropping out of Yale, or, as she had said it "taking a break", Lorelai proposing to him, then postponing the wedding until things were right with Rory...How Lorelai and Rory hadn't talked in two months, How Lorelai had been in denial. She had been busying herself with everything and anything and pretending she was ok, but Luke knew her too well. Of course, he also knew her well enough not to push the subject. She would open up to him eventually, and he would be there for her when she wanted to talk and needed him to listen.

He entered Stars Hollow and drove trough the single street that made up the small Connecticut town. He parked his truck in front of the dinner, even thought he had moved in with Lorelai a few weeks after her proposal he still kept his camping equipment in his apartment, and decided to go to Lorelai' s house and unpack his stuff later. He wanted to see her. As much as he liked camping he liked being with her more, probably more than anything else in the world. He even came back yesterday during miss Patty's dance recital. But she had told him that she didn't want him to give up being Grizzly Adams for her. That it didn't feel right. And he reluctantly admitted that he didn't want to give up camping.

As he neared Lorelai's house, he made a mental note to take Lorelai with him on his next camping trip. He knew she wasn't exactly "nature girl" but he painted the house with her and he hated to paint so she owned him. Plus he would throw in all the coffee she asked for, among other things.

He opened the door and was about to go to Lorelai's room when he noticed that she was laying on her couch fast asleep with Paul Anka beside her. Paul Anka looked up and seeing him jumped of the couch and went to greet him eagerly shaking his tail. Lorelai stirred but didn't wake up. Luke patted Paul Anka on the head and smiled. He hadn't been exactly thrilled when Lorelai had gotten him but even thought he hated to admit it he had learned to like the mutt.

God He hated to admit it!.

Luke went over to the couch, laid down next to Lorelai, gently pulling her closer to him. Once again, she stirred, but didn't wake up and snuggled closer to his chest. He noticed the dry tears on her face and realized Rory's birthday was coming up. How he hated to see her cry. He hated even more the fact that he couldn't fix it. Not this time This matter had to be resolved between the Gilmore Girls. But he also knew that the Gilmores Girls were the queens of denial, and that both their stubbornness and their perseverance were hereditary. Neither one would give in easily.

Luke signed realizing the only thing he could do was wait. This was the last thing on his mind before he too fell asleep

Lorelai woke up stiff from sleeping in the couch. She groaned. Gilmores were not morning people. Especially on Saturday. She tried to go back to sleep, but the ringing of the phone made it impossible for her to do so.

"Hello", she said grumpily into the phone.

"Lorelai" a familiar voice said from the other end.

Lorelai sat up when she realized who it was "Hey Jess , how's Harvard treating ya"

"It's fine. How's it going back there?"

"Oh great, the inn's great, the town's great, Paul Anka's great , I'm great"

"Paul Anka" Jess said skeptically

"My dog, I got him like two months ago"

"And Luke knows you have a dog?"

"Well, yeah he's kinda hard to hide"

"How did you get Luke to let a dog in the house? He hates dogs!"

"Well, as Luke recently found out, I can be very persuasive", she said naughtily

"Ah jezz Lorelai! I don't even want to know what you did, or didn't do to convince him!" Jess said half joking half serious. He was glad Luke and Lorelai had gotten together. They were the only two people in town that didn't need to be sent to a mental institute. But he still wasn't interested on the details.

Lorelai laughed at that.

"Can you just put Luke on the phone please" Jess said getting annoyed

For a moment ,Lorelai wasn't sure if Luke had come yet from the camping trip. Then she heard cooking from the kitchen and the wonderful smell of coffee reached her.

"Luke-y", she called as she entered the kitchen "Jess's on the phone, he wants to talk to you"

Luke looked up and took the phone. Not without giving him a warning look. He loved Lorelai's sense of humor, but knew better than to encourage it.

Luke mumbled a "hey" which was responded by a fit of laughter.

"Luke-y?", Jess said between laughs

"Shut up" Luke said trying to suppress a grin. He hadn't heard Jess laugh like that in a while. Finally, he couldn't help but laugh a little, well, a lot.

"Why are you calling Jess. Is everything ok?"

"Everything's fine contrary to popular belief I'm not in trouble every time I call"

"I didn't mean it that way.." Luke started apolitically.

"I know Luke" Jess cut him off "I was just wondering of Liz and TJ said anything about thanksgiving"  
"Thanksgiving?"

"Yeah, the day she moved and asked me to help. I mentioned thanksgiving and she said that maybe she would call and have me for lunch at 3:30. She's your sister so I figured if she hadn't called me that she would call you.."

Luke heard the hesitation and hope in his nephew's voice and felt the anger he usually felt towards his sister flare up.

Liz had dropped Jess off at the dinner when he was 12 only to take him away next year. Jess had then ran away from Liz's recent abusive boyfriend and back to Luke. Seeing the bruises Jess bared Luke had called his sister and told her that until she dumped that asshole-of-a-boyfriend who had beaten up her 13-year-old kid that Luke wouldn't let her have Jess back. And Liz had clearly stated that she couldn't care less. Not knowing that on the other line Jess had heard the whole conversation. Since then, Liz had rejected Jess mercilessly. She would hardly ever call and when she did, it was only to feed the kid false hopes, which was only worse in the long run. Now, on his freshman year in college, Luke realized that even thought he was a realistic kid who hid his feelings Jess still had the childish hope in the back of his mind that, if he did good in school, showed his mother what he was worth, that maybe she would turn around.

"I haven't heard from Liz in a while Jess"

"Oh" Jess replied unable to hide his disappointment for the first time in years. He knew what that meant. She wasn't gonna call. "Well, then, uh I'm sorry I called you for nothing" He was feeling pretty low about now, not to mention stupid.

"Don't be" Luke said a little firmer that he had intended. He could swear he heard Jess flinch from the other line. "You can call anytime Jess" He said a little softer.

"Yeah I know thanks"

Both were silent for a while. But it was a comfortable silent. Finally Jess broke it.

"So, about thanksgiving. Do you mind if I bring a friend from Harvard?"

"Sure seeya then"

"Yeah say hi to Lorelai for me seeya then"

Luke heard the other line go mute and also hung up.

"What did Jess want" Lorelai asked as Luke set a plate full to it's capacity with pancakes, eggs sunny side up, and bacon on the side.

"He wanted to know if he could bring a friend from Harvard for thanksgiving."

"Is it a friend, or a girl who's a friend"

"I don't know I guess we'll find out then"

Luke sat across from Lorelai and they ate in comfortable silence. Luke couldn't help but notice the sadness that was growing in her eyes.

"Hey you want to watch a movie?" Luke asked in an effort to cheer her up. Lorelai mentally flinched. She hadn't watched a movie since Rory left. Without counting the one with her mini-breakdown the night before.

"Uh, sure, why not" she said half faking a smile.

"Ok, what do you want me to get"

"Just the movie I'll get everything else"

Luke studied her for a moment, usually Lorelai would tell him to bring massive amounts of junk food to a movie. He decide to leave it alone. She would tell him in time.

"What movie do you wanna watch?"

"A Cinderella story"

"It's a date" He whispered leaning in for a kiss. The kiss deepened.

"Are you sure you can't stay" Lorelai asked as they pulled apart.

Luke shook his head and headed for the door.

It was after he was outside that he realized he had just agreed to a movie night with Lorelai.

_What have you gotten yourself into Danes._

**REVIEW!**


	3. AN

**AN: **I'm sorry I haven't continued with this fic I've had a lot on my plate lately.-Meaning since school started again after winter break.

I still do so it'll be some time before I update. There's something I have to do in order to pass a certain class so I'll have to put all of my fanfics on hold.

Again sorry. I'll try to update as fast as I can.:


	4. Chapter 3

A whatever life; Cinderella Story.

Lorelai stared off at nothing in particular as A Cinderella Story played in the background. Luke was next to her in the couch with his arm around her and had long since dozed off to sleep-a place Lorelai was having trouble getting to.

All she could think of was the movie and of another Cinderella Story-one that hadn't ended up so well.

How many times had she repeated the same line the movie was known for to her daughter?

She remembered clearly the first time they'd seen this together. It'd been before Rory went to Chilton. Lorelai had rented it hoping it'd give them both the reassurance they needed.

Even thought deep down she knew it was ridiculous Lorelai couldn't help but blame herself. She felt as thought she had thrown Rory to the lions without preparing her properly. The fact that her daughter had let that pompous jackass Mitchum Hunztburger walk all over her rested solely on her shoulders.

She felt tears burn her eyes once again.

How had she messed up so badly?

Paul Anka sensing his master's distress whimpered. Lorelai lost concentration on keeping her eyes as wide as possible and before she could do anything to stop it the tears rolled down her shirt and onto Luke's shirt.

Before he could wake up and ask her what was wrong she buried her face in his chest. She didn't want to answer questions right now she just wanted to forget. Forget how hurt and frustrated she felt. How guilty she felt for failing her daughter and for making Luke wait.

She felt Luke's hand go trough her hair. Feeling comforted Lorelai took a shaky breath and snuggled closer taking in the smell of coffee and flannel that she'd come to associate with Luke.

He kissed the side of her head and resumed t stroking her hair and Lorelai found herself falling asleep.

* * *

At Hartford unknown to her mother Rory had been watching the very same movie. She was now staring at the blank TV.

Hadn't she watched the movie so that she'd forget about her family drama for at least ne night?

Instead the movie had left her mother's words from so many nights before, engraved into her brain-thanks to Samantha's father and Samantha herself.

But she was not like Samantha. She wasn't. There were many differences between their situations-aside from the obvious one which Rory didn't even want to acknowledge.

For instance Samantha had gone to Princeton she'd gone to Yale….

Well, she was sure there were more.

As she drifted off to sleep Rory tried to focus on that thought alone instead of the line that threatened to haunt her forever.

Never let the fear of striking out keep you from playing the game.


End file.
